6 in 10 online pals make it a point to meet in person

London, Dec 18 (ANI): More than half of all adults who first make contact with someone on the net go on to meet face to face, new UK research has shown.

The study, which was conducted by market researcher TNS Global, found that six out of 10 adults have met up with an online friend.

Of the 2,500 UK web-users surveyed, 58 per cent said they had met an internet contact in person and 45 per cent had telephone conversations with friends who were previously just online acquaintances, reports the Telegraph.

However, the study found that many net surfers doubt the true identity of their online friends, with 37 per cent of respondents admitting they cannot be sure of an internet contact’’s identity.

The study was entitled Digital World, Digital Life.

Arno Hummerston, TNS Global managing director, said: “What comes out in this survey is that we are actively engaging with people online, but we haven”t lost the knack for conventional social contact.

“At the same time, online acquaintances are now perceived by most of us as real acquaintances.

“This is underlined by the high percentages of people who, having first met people online, go on to meet them in person or at least by talking on the phone.

“But behind that is the sense of worry among our respondents who clearly express concern about the true online identity of these apparent friends.”

More than 27,000 participants aged 18 to 55 across 16 countries were interviewed for the study. (ANI)